Electronic systems and devices may be subject to interference and electrical or mechanical overstress conditions that undesirably alter their operational states. One area of electronics that is particularly prone to such stresses is automotive sensors. In automobiles, a combination of multiple mechanical and electrical systems are installed in close proximity and operated in varied environments. This creates an increased likelihood of electrical interference and sudden motion that can result in errors within a sensor. In many cases, a sensor will return to normal operation after a stress is applied. However, in some circumstances, the stress may cause a change to an electronic component or device that does not allow the sensor to return to correct operation without additional intervention. As can be appreciated, errors induced in this manner are undesirable in all electronics applications, but they are of particular concern in applications where human safety is involved, such as automobiles and other vehicles.
While many techniques exist for storing electronic data, contemporary circuit design overwhelmingly favors the use of digital circuitry to perform this function. In a sensor based application, the information being stored within digital storage circuitry may include the operational state of the sensor circuitry (e.g., state information within the state register of a state machine) and/or information about sensor inputs (e.g., sensor information stored since power on). Alteration of any of this date can lead to a malfunction of the sensor or other system. There is a need for techniques and circuits for identifying the occurrence of errors in electronic systems caused by overstress conditions. There is also a need for techniques and circuits for recovering from such errors.